6 years agoKansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes took the NFL by storm in 2018, winning the MVP in his first season as a starting quarterback while leading the NFL in touchdown passes, touchdown percentage, and QBR while finishing second in passing yardage. Mahomes finished as the QB1 in fantasy last season and his ability to make any throw and prove that an Air Raid quarterback could succeed in the NFL made him a hugely popular player. But Mahomes success comes with a downside for fantasy football players, which is trying to properly value Mahomes heading into this upcoming season. It’s long been accepted that smart fantasy football players don’t pick a quarterback too early, but Mahomes’ success last season has led to him inching higher and higher on draft boards, and he’s going in the second round in plenty of early mock drafts. Mahomes is a high-floor, high-ceiling guy, but factor in a little natural regression in terms of turnovers and touchdowns, and it becomes hard to justify picking a quarterback that high, even if he’s one with the skill set and the ability to finish as the overall QB1 again that Mahomes have. He should be the first quarterback off the board in fantasy drafts, but that should happen late in the third or in the fourth round in redraft leagues, which means a lot of smart fantasy players will end up missing out on him. While that’ll hurt, there are other quarterbacks who can give you something close to what Mahomes can, so don’t be too afraid of passing on him, even if he’s an elite fantasy option.--Justin Carter - RotoBaller